Machine for developing and fixing cinematographic



. 4 1. MARETTE. I MACHINE F08 DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHICFILMS.

- APPLIQATION FILED MAY 19, 1914. 1,325,748.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Dec. 23,1919;

MACHINE FOR DEVELO' v III'III ,1

"""IIIIIIIIIA w J. MARETIE. PING AND- FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS.APPHCATION FILED MAY 19. 1914- Patehted Dec. 23, 1919.

fivenz or Jlmwas AMI/6H1;

H3 #Hornc J. MARETTE. MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHICFILMS.

v APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. |9I4-' 1,325,748. Patented Dec. 28,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- UNITED STATES- PATENT or ce JACQUES MARE'ITE, ,OFVINCENNES, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETAIBLISSEMENTSPATHE FRERES, PHONOGRAPHE ET CINEMATOGRAPHE, OE

PARIS, FRANCE. I

MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS. 7

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Application filed May 19, 1914. Serial No. 839,505.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJAC UES MARETT'E,

citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 30 Rue des Vignerons,Vincennes, Seine, in the Republic of F rance,'have invented new anduseful Improvements in Machines ,for Developing and FixingCinematographic Films, of which the following is a specifica- Thisinvention relates to a machine for developing and fixmgcinematographicfilms. This machine pa ticularly distinctive in that it comprisesvertical vats of consider- I culation of the baths.

able height and circular or rectangular cross -sect1on, thatrespectlvely contaln the varlous baths used for developing, rinsing.fixing, washing, coloring, toning, etc.,- these vats being arrangedbeside one another in. the same plane and provided with the nozzlesrequired for obtaining a suitable cir- The film which is to be developedand is wound off a reel is guided by mechanically controlled feedrollers and is lowered successively into the various vats while beingkept stretched by heavy rollers that are suspended in equilibrium at thelower part of the loops formed by the film in the several vats. Devicesfor'controlling the driving mechanism allow of regulat ing at will andin a very simple manner the duration of the immersion of the film in thedeveloping bath.

In the accompanying drawings shown by way of example:

Figure 1 is a general diagrammatic-view of a machine for developing andfixing arranged according to the invention.

Fig. 2 'shows at a larger scale a part of the machine in sectionalelevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows another part of the machine in sectional elevation thispart being adapted to be joined to the former part along the line AA.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 and is adapted to be joined along theline BB of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 together constitute an eleva-v tionalView of the machine.

The machine shown by way of example in the accompanying drawingscomprises a selar or a rectangular section and may be made of metal,wood, glass or any other material, according to the nature of the baththrough which the film is passed, and being caused to flow up throughtube 9. The film passes over a lantern N located between the vats 8 and9 for observing the film and after passing through vats 9 and 10. goesthrough a series of vats 11 containing hyposulfitesupplied to the upperpart of a pipe 7, the

film being subsequently passed through rinsing vats 12. Vat's 12 arefollowed by a wiping device 0 and by vats 13 containing the color bathsfor dyeing the film in a known manner. 7 1 h Thefilm M to be developedis contained in a magazine or box g and is guided on a series of rollersin such amanner that it is passed down into each vat in the form of aloop. Two feed rollers ii, i adjoining each vat are placed above the vatand the film is passed over these rollers. The film is kept stretched ineach vat bya smooth roller 70 provided with two checks that aresufliciently heavy to allow the roller to roll in equilibrium in theloop formed by the film and give the film suflicient tension in thebath, the roller being therefore-11inch like the reel of a diabolo game.The bottom roller is will,

as a rule and in its ordinary working position be in the lower part ofthe vat and will secure the transition of the film throughout the heightofthe vat without allowing the filn to wave. The time of immersion ofthe film in the bath contained in the vat will naturally depend on thelevel of this bottom roller.

If the vats are of opaque material they com rise at their lower art"lass sleeves such as m that have an adequate length and allow ofobserving the bottom rollersused as stretchers and determine their levelat the mo'men t the machine is started. e

'rics of vertical vats juxtaposed in the same i In the constructionshown, the feed rollers provided at the top of the vat or tube 1 aretoothed feeders 2' that are driven by a transmission.

ukeyed to 1 a shaft G.

longitudinal haft 0 With the intervention of cross shafts a, and bevelwheels. The longitudinalshaft 0 also drives by means of bevel wheels asmooth roller or guide roller it placed in advance of the first feedroller 2', a smooth roller h which passes the film into the vat :2 and atoothed friction roller 2' that may moreover be actuated directly bymeans of a friction crank p. The shaft driv ing the roller '6 drives bymeans of a chain Q the shaft of the smooth roller ]L of vat 3. By meansof similar chain transmissions the toothed feed roller z of -tubes 3, a,5 and 6 drive the smooth rollers it of tubes at, 5, 6

and 7 respectively. 1Shaft 0 is driven'with the intervention of a clutchr by a shaft 0 the latter belng driven with the interventlon of a clutchr by, a shaft 0 The shaft 0 is driven with the intervention of a clutchr" by a shaft 0. Shaft 0 is driven with the intervention of a clutch rby shaft 0 and 0* is driven with the intervention of a clutch r by ashaft 0.

vers H to H on which springs I are made to act that tend to normallykeep the clutches engaged.

By means of bevel wheels, shafts 0 to 0 are made to drive the toothedfeed rollers of vats 3 to T respectively. Shaft 0 moreover drives bymeans of bevel wheels the smooth roller h of vat S, and this shaft isconnected by means of gearwheels s, t, to an accessory or secondaryshaft u and gear wheels o, w to a shaft 1r, which is driven directly byshaft 2 by means of bevel wheels 3 Shaft 2 is driven by means of anysuitable On the'accessory shaft "11, a gear wheel D is looselymountedthat can be geared with this shaft by means of a lever E andwhich engages. with a gear wheel F The latter shaft Gr drives thetoothed rollers i of vats S, 9 and 10 as well as the smooth rollers II,of vats 9 and 10 and one i of the toothed rollers of vat 11, this rollerbeing moreover provided with a driving friction crank J.

.By means of bevel wheels shaft w drives the second toothed roller 2' ofvat 11 and the toothed feed rollers of the other tubes 12 and 13 of thearrangement.

The working of the machine i as follows: The film to be developed isplaced on a reel or spool that is stored in the magazine 9 and the filmthen passes in the direction of' the arrow over the smooth feed roller72, and over the first toothed roller 2' of the first Vat, which roller1'. is driven in the manner described and secures the unwinding of thefilm. 011 having made a loop in vat l in which it carries a bottomroller 70. the film passes over the second toothed roller over thesmooth roller 71 into vat 2 and then goes over the various rollers-bysuccessively passing down into the vats.

The clutches r to-r, are controlled by le- The film is thus submitted tothe deieloping operation (in vats or tubes 1 to 8), the -rinsingoperation (in tubes 9 and l0),the fixing (in tubes 11), the rinsing (in'tubes 1'2) and the dyeing (in tubes I The duration of each operation isregulated:

(1) By the speed of the winding off of the film in the machine.

(2) By the number of tubes passed through in each operation.

(3) By the level of the each of the tubes.

The device described allows of varying the duration of the developing asfollows: 'Lhe immersion of the film is always complete in tubes 1 and 2,but its immersion can be varied in tubes 3 to 8. By operating one of thefive levers H to H, the part of the mechanism.situated on the left ofthe disengaged lever can be stopped. If lever II is disengaged forinstance, asshown, the film is kept still intubes 1 to 5 and as itcontinues to be drawn by roller of tube 6 the bottom roller rises inthis tube and the duration of immersion of the film in the developingbath contained in this tube diminishes. If on the contrary the bottomroller is to be lowered in this tube 6 so as to prolong the duration ofthe developing operation, it will merely be necessary. while keeping thelever ll." disengaged, to turn the crank 72 in the direction of themovement of the rollers at a faster rate than the normal speed of theoperation. i

In order to submerge the film still farther in tube 8 it is merelynecessary on the other hand to keep the lever E disengaged so as to keepshaft G at rest. The bottom roller is thenlowered in tube 8. At the sametime the duration of the immersion in the hyposulfite contained in tube11 diminishes as the bottom roller of this tube is raised. This ishowever of econdary importance, as the number of tubes for fixing isalways kept higher than is necessary. In order to diminish the durationof immersion in tube 8, it suiiices to turn the crank handle J at ahigher speed than the normal speed of the machine, while keeping lever Edisengaged. This will have the subsidiary eifect of increasing theduration of immersion in the fixing tube 11'.

The invention is not restricted of course to the details of thearrangement shown and described, which has been chosen by way of anexample. 7

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for developing and fixing cinematographic films comprisingvertical vats juxtaposed in the same plane, means for, supplying saidvats with the various baths used for developing and the subscbottomroller in quent operations. means for contimlously "driving the film andguiding thesame so that it descends successively into eaeh of the, vats,said means embodying smooth feed the purpose set forth.

rollers and toothed feed rollers arrangedin the -'same horizontal planeabove the vats,

H transversely arranged shafts, carrying said feed rollers, alongitudinal shaft divided intoseveral sections,-means for driving saidshaft atone end, bevel-gears connecting the fvarious sections of thelongitudinal shaft with the transverse shafts, clutches on saidlongitudinal shaft whereby various sections of the same may bedisengaged and kept, still and stretching means for the film in eachvat, substantially as described and for 2. A machine for developing andcinematographic films comprising yertical' vats juxtaposed in. the sameplane ,imeans for supplying said .vats /with .the 1 various baths usedfor developing and the subsequent operations means for continuouslydriving 'ther'fi'linand guiding the same so that it descendssuccessively into each of the vats, said means embodying smooth feedrollers and toothed feed rollers arranged in the same horizontal plane.above the vats,

faster than the. normal speed and stretching means for the film in eachvat, substantially as described and for'the purpose set'forth. -3. Amachine for developing and fixing cinematographic films; comprisingvertical =film away from, the last of the vats con ing feed-rollers upto that carrying thefiln f into the first of the vats containinghypog",I,

vvats juxtaposed in the same plane, means for supplying said Vatswiththe various baths used for developing and-the subsequent operations,means for continuously driving the film and guiding the same so that itdescends successively into each of the vats, said means embodying smoothfeed the same -horizontalvplane above the vats, transversely arrangedshafts carryingsaidfeed rollers, a longitudinal shaft divided intoseveral sections, meansfor driving'said 'shaft at one end, bevel gearsconnecting the various sections of the longitudinal shaft with thetransversefshafts, clutches on said longitudinal shaft whereby varioussections ofthe same can be'fdisengagedand kept still, one section ofsaid longitudinal shaft driving the feed roller which carries thetainingthe developer and the. next sueceedsulfite, inclusively, a:secondary shaft coupling together the adjacent sectio of thelongitudinal shaft at-both ends of the above sections, a clutch wherebysaid secondary above section, a friction crank whereby the-f feedrollerwhich carries the film into the first of the .hyposulfitecontaining vats-may be driven at will at a speed-faster than the normalspeed, and stretching means for the film in each vat,fsubstantially asdescribed f and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof. I have'zsigned my name to thisspecification in thepresence of so two.v subscriblng wltnesses. j Y 5 JACQUES MARETTE,Witnesses: v j I I i CHAS. P. PREssLY,

A FRED GEHET.

50 rollers and toothed feed rollersarranged in 2 .70' shaft may be usedat will for driving the

